Radial internal-combustion engine



Oct. 22, 1929. P. WEILLER RADIAL INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 17, 1928 Fig Pal/I Lou is Wcillcr Oct. 22, 1929. wElLLER 1,733.037

RADIAL INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed March 17, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [7111c rota r 11 P0111 oal-6 Tc-ills:-

Patented Oct. 22, 1929 PAUL LOUIS WEILLER, OF PARIS, FRANCE RADIAL m'rnnnn'n-coianusrron ENGINE Application filed March 17, 1928, Serial No. 262,437, and in France August 27, 1927.

The present invention relates to radial internal combustion engines. I According to the present invention the in ner end of each cylinder engages in the adj acent cylinder onone side and itself contains the inner end oftheadjacent cylinder on the opposite side.

The piston of each cylinder may further be provided with a laterally recessed portion located adjacent the cylinder that penetrates the cylinder receiving this piston. This recess is provided on the side of the piston diametrically opposite that part of the piston on which a working reaction with the cylinder wall takes place while the engine is running.

By'this arrangement, it is possible to conv struct radial engines, including either stationaryor rotary engines, the diameter of which is determined by the cylinders and with a working stroke determined by each piston in each cylinder whilst the diameter of the complete engine is less than that of radial engines hitherto constructed although the cylinders are of the same cross section as in such known constructions and each pis- 3011 has the same working stroke in its cylin- This reduction in the diameter of the engine as a whole, which is now possible as a result of this invention without altering the volume of each cylinder swept over by the piston, and consequently without altering the power of the engine, also allows of decreasing the weight of the engine which is a further important advantage.

Owing to the reduction in the inertia of the moving masses, the decrease in diameter of the engine without altering the volume of each cylinder, allows also if desired of increasing the speed of the engine and consequently the power of the same. A further important advantage of engines constructed according to the present invention, is the reduction of the air resistance of such engines with a given volume and horse-power, which is particularly interesting in the applications of these engines to aircraft which are generally the most important applications of 50 any such apparatus.

In this connection it should be noted that the resultant combination of an aircraft of proved aeronautical machine which has a lower air resistance, with equal volume of cylinder or horse-power, than that of pres= ent aircraft fitted with such an. en 'ne, and also is of less weight and has a big er speed and a su erior range of action for a given 60, supply 0 fuel, than such machines.

It is of course understood that the present invention covers both these improved engines and also the separate elements of engines of the above type, more particularly, the-c lin- 06 ders, the pistons, the connecting rods an the framework in which the cylinders are mounted.

The invention is more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional view through all the cylinders of a radial engine of the usual type mounted at right angles to the axis. r a

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic section on the same scale and at right angles to the axis through the cylinders of an engine, with the same number of cylinders as the former, construction according to the present invention so in which thepistons are of the same diameter and have the same stroke as in the above case.

, Figure 3 is a detail view in similar section and on a larger scale, showing the enga ement of onecylinder in the adjacent cyl-mder and the laterally recessed piston fitted in one of these cylinders.

Figure 4 shows the peripheral development of half the same piston.

v The same reference numerals indicate the same elements in all the figures.

A known engine is shown in Figure 1 and has 9-cylinders, a, b, a, d, e, f, g, It, '3', the bases of the cylinders being assembled on a common casing j.

The pistons a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, of these cylinders .act by means of connectin rods a b, 0 (1 e, f, g, h, i, on a cran shaft j, P being the maln connecting rod to which the others are articulated.

Figure 2 shows a ii -cylinder engine constructed according to the present 1nvention 20 by means' of connecting or piston rods 21' In this engine however each cylinder c. g. 1. receives the inner end 2 of the neighbouring cylinder 2, its own central end 1 penetrating the opposite adjacent cylinder 9.

In order to make full use of the length of each cylinder and thus maintain a piston stroke in this engine equal to that of each piston in the engine shown in Figure 1, the wall of each cylinder e. g, 1 is recessed at 1 (Figure 3) to receive theadj acent cylinder 2, such recess being suitably extended at 1" to provide for movement of the connecting rod. The inner portion of cylinder 2 where received in said recess is provided with a longitudinal slot or recess 2" to provide for movement of the connecting rod in cylinder 2. The skirt of piston 11 of cylinder 1 is also recessed at 11' where it opposes the end of cylinder 2 to provide for descent of the piston to the full limit of its inward stroke.

The cylinders preferably interengage in such'a manner that the recess on each piston, for example the recessll on the piston 11 (Figure 4), oppositethe adjacent cylinder engaging-in that cylinder 1 in which this piston 11 slides, is located on this piston on the opposite sideto that which in the direction of rotation of the moving elements of the engine, is forced against the cylinder wall in order to reserve the whole of the piston wall on this side and not to vary the pressure per in Fi square inch exerted by the piston against this wall. The connecting rods, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 act on the crank shaft 20 and owingv to the arrangement described above are shorter than those in the engine shown gure 1 a I declare that what I claim is 1. A radial internal combustion engine including a plurality of radially disposed cylinders, a frame work within which said cylinders are mounted, a piston for each cylinder, a crank shaft, connecting rods between said pistons and-said crank shaft, the inner end of each cylinder engaging on one side within the space occupied by one of the adjacent cylinders and containing itself on the opposite side the inner end of the other adjacent cylinder situated on the said opposite side in order to reduce the over-all diameter of the combined engine.

2. A. radial internal combustion engine consisting of a plurality of radially disposed engine cylinders, the inner end of each of which is engaged on one side within the space occupied by one of the adjacent cylinder and is cut away on the opposite side to allow the insertion therein of the adjacent cylinder situated on the said opposite side, a frame work in which the cylinders are rigidly rods between said crank shaft and said pistons. i

4. A cylinder adapted for use in a radial internal combustion engine having on one side a cut away portion at its open end to allow, of insertion within the said cut away portion of a portion of the inner end of an adjacent cylinder of the said internal coinbustion engine.

5. A radial internal combustion engine consisting of a plurality of radially disposed engine cylinders, the inner end of each of which is cut away on one side over a portion of the periphery to allow of insertion within the said cut away, ortion of a portion of the inner end of an dj acent cylinder, a frame work in which the cylinders are rigidly mounted, a piston for each cylinder, the said piston being cut away over a portion of its inner end in a manner similar to the said cut away portion ofeach cylinder, a common crank shaft and connecting rods between said crank shaft and said pistons.

6. A radial internal combustion engine consisting of a plurality of radiallydisposed engine cylinders, the inner end of each of which is cut away on one side over a portion of the periphery to allow of insertion within the said cut away portion of an adjacent cylinder, a frame work in which the cylinders are rigidly mounted, a piston for each cylinder, the said pistonbeing cut away over a portion of its inner end on the side which is diametrically opposite that part of the piston on which a working reaction with the cylinder wall takes place while the engine is running, a common crank shaft and conv necting rods between said crank shaft and said pistons.

7. A piston adaptedfor use in a radial internal combustion engine consisting of a plurality of radially disposed engine cylinders, the inner end of each of which, is cut away on one side over a portion of the periphery to allow of insertion within the cut away portion of an adjacent cylinder, the. said' piston'being cut away at its open end on the side which is corresponding to the cut away portion ofthe cylinder in which the said piston is working to allow the movement of the said piston on the above adjacent cylinder.

8. A piston adapted for use 1n a radial internal combustion engine consisting of a lurality of radially disposed engine cylin ers, the inner end of each of which is cut away on one side over a portion of the periphery to allow of insertion within the cut away portion of an adjacent cylinder, the said piston being cut away over a portion of its inner end on the side of the piston diametrically opposite that part of the piston on which a, working reaction with the cylinder wall takes place while the engine is running.

9. An engine as defined in claim 3 in which the cylinders are each further provided at the inner ends thereof with longitudinally extending slots to provide for the movement thereinto of the respective connecting rods.

10. A radial internal combustion engine consisting of a plurality of radially disposed cylinders, the inner end of each of which is cut away on one side over a portion of the periphery to receive a portion of the inner end of an adjacent cylinder, :1 piston for each cylinder, a common crank shaft and connecting rods between said crank shaft and said pistons, said cylinders being further cut away at the inner ends thereofto provide clearance for the connecting rods.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

PAUL LOUIS VVEILLER. 

